Spherical bearing wiki

The hub of information for our igubal spherical bearings

On this page we have summarised all the important technical issues relating to our igubal spherical bearings , which hopefully will help designers when designing applications. Find out more about our bearing materials and their specification. There are also important tips for the use of our spherical bearings and expertise from practice and research which we make available to you free of charge in our whitepapers.

What is iglidur®?

iglidur® are materials developed by igus. They consist of high-performance polymers and are characterised by special specifications. For example, they are particularly wear-resistant or suitable for contact with media and chemicals.

But what are iglidur materials made of? And what is behind the self-lubricating effect? Find out more about the specification and composition of iglidur bearings.

Learn more about our materials

Technical data

Technical information is really important when designing in products into applications therefore taking into account parameters such as temperature, tolerances and wear rating is crucial. This page gives an overview of some of the key technical data elements to consider when designing in igubal spherical parts.

To technical information page

Test laboratory and results

In the iglidur® and igubal® test laboratory, we analyse the load-bearing capacity, wear and friction of our bearings and materials. Different conditions such as temperature, load and speed are varied depending on the test. With 50 test rigs, we carry out over 300 tests simultaneously and 11,300 tribological analyses annually on our newly developed plastic. These are not only exposed to environmental influences, but also to different movements and forces to ensure their reliability. We also test the resistance of our components to dirt, weather and impact. We store the test results in databases and integrate them into our online tool.

Learn more

ESD spherical bearings

ESD spherical bearings are designed to safely remove and ground electric charges from affecting machines. We have a range of ESD components, including a variety of spherical bearings that are;

Electrically conductive
Minimises discharges
Excellent abrasion resistance
Chemically resistant
ESD certifications available

Learn more

Definition of Spherical Plain Bearings

What is a spherical bearing?

Spherical plain bearings are bearings or radial bearings that allow for angular rotation within a central point. Spherical plain bearings are typically used in conjunction with a rotating shaft in mechanical machinery. Our spherical plain bearings are lubrication free so do not need any maintenance. You can use them wherever the self-aligning bearings offer constructive advantages or assist in simplifying the installation. For more information on our spherical plain bearings click here

Learn more

Definition of Ball Joints

Ball joints also known as axial joints, ball and socket joints or axial articulation joints allow mechanical applications to rotate and pivot smoothy, enabling multi-axis angular displacement and rotational motion between two connected components.

Plastic ball joints are favourable in many applications as they do not corrode or require maintenance such as other standard material axis joints.

The joint consists of a spherical male element (the ball) and a concave spherical female housing (the socket). This geometry forms a spherical plain bearing interface, enabling the connected parts to pivot, rotate, and accommodate misalignment while transmitting load

For more information on our spherical bearing range click here.

Definition of axial joints or axial bearings

Axial joints are ball and socket joint components that allow for misalignment of the moving parts within mechanical machinery.

Axial joints rotate on the xyz axis and reduce any wear or friction that occurs. The axial joint or ball and socket joint can be made from either metal or plastic and in some cases can be a combination of both.

Our axial joints require zero lubrication and maintenance.

For more information on our spherical bearing range click here.